Alternative Famous Firsts
Crowley (but my friends call me Mister)
Mornings (KILO Production Director)
KRXP (X1039)/Colorado Springs, CO
101.5 K-Rock in "The Little Apple," Manhattan, KS. I just thought it'd be more fun than fast food while I was in college, a lark, and the radio gravity well done got me.
Summer Sanitarium 2003 Brother, Limp Bizkit covering The Who And Women Tryna Dance Sexily To Metallica and me sober cuz I got carded. What a show!
Green Day's Insomniac, got it from W*lmart the day it was released, and that was the day I first encountered the phenomenon that everything a band puts out AFTER you discover them will never match up to what had existed prior.
Lemme give my first two for the fun juxtaposition: Avenged Sevenfold and Stephin Merritt of the Magnetic Fields. Avenged Sevenfold was doing their first tour and press after the Rev died, so they were NOT feeling it, and I was trying to be funny, joking about them fighting Metallica or something, just a mess. It was miserable for all of us. BUT then Stephin Merritt, a notoriously difficult interview, after a rocky start actually went shockingly well! He was even better at my job than me: I asked about the 6ths out of nowhere, and he busts out a "If any of your listeners don't know, The 6ths was a collaborative project where..." He might have hated it but damn he was a pro!
Running board for some sports game, forgot to put the playlist back into auto after it was over, and of course my drive home was shorter than that first song, so didn't hear about it until getting a call at 5:30 am the next day. Off all night!
Tom Butler
Specialty Host
WCRS-LP FM/Columbus, OH
WWCD/CD101 in those days. I started my internship with the late great Andyman Davis in May 1998. I started doing weekends in December of that year and eventually worked my way up overnights, evenings, and finally afternoon drive as well as earning my MD stripes. I hosted a bunch of different shows while I was there. Notably the independent Playground and our local show, Frontstage.
Jesus Jones / Ned's Atomic Dustbin / New Fast Automatic Daffodils. September 1991 at the State Theater in Ann Arbor. NewFads canceled. I still have my Ned's tour shirt! I loved Ned's. Who didn't?
My parents and relatives bought me things when I was little, but the first thing I bought with my own money was a copy of the Dead Kennedys "Plastic Surgery Disasters" on cassette. I was a tiny little skate rat who read Thrasher Magazine religiously. I saw an ad in one issue for the DKs label, Alternative Tentacles and I was sold. I was 12 years old so, I asked my mom to take me to the NRM at Franklin Park Mall in Toledo and I nervously bought my copy. That one tape sparked a lifelong obsession with finding new music.
That's an excellent question. I honestly don't remember. It was probably something that happened on-site at an event. When I was an intern, I got to pick up Jim Reid and Phil King from The Jesus & Mary Chain and drive them to an interview at CD101. I peppered them with questions the entire ride. Does that count?
I was running the board for our morning show who were doing the live broadcast before a Stones show in Columbus. It was the first time I had run the board for them and I was pretty nervous they were going to throw me a curveball at some point. Sure enough, on air, one of the hosts says "Tom's back in the studio for us, hey Tom, find Beast of Burden and play it.". We didn't have the song in the system, so I had to find the CD which was not where it was supposed to be. I'm scrambling around looking for this thing while the morning show is still on-air and stalling for time. It felt like it took me 3 hours, but I eventually found the CD and played it and guess what. It skipped all the way through the song.
Chris Booker
Afternoon Co-Host
KYSR (ALT 98.7)/Los Angeles
WOMP/Wheeling. OVERNIGHT SUNDAY 12-6. 4 hours on-air. Two hours running God Squad then the community affairs show.
When Bryan Adams came to Wheeling, it was the talk of the Ohio Valley. I was a Freshmen and my gf who was a Junior drove us. I felt like my entire high school was there. I still can remember that excitement. Cuts like a knife!
1984 or Purple Rain. Honestly I’m guessing?
I honestly was in a coma for 6 days. I probably should remember this, but I don’t.
I’ve NEVER had dead air.. only pregnant pauses.
